Uni Freshers parents 2016?

[granarybeck]

hi

I've just been reading recent threads on weekly living costs and what to take to uni and found loads of useful info. I'm certainly finding that there was so much focus on getting the results/not tempting fate that it all feels a bit of a panic now. I have a dd going to warwick and a ds going to bath.

Wondered if there is already a thread for other general tips for those with dd/s starting uni this September?

[Teenagedream]

I've also got DS going to Cardiff added DD going to Birmingham. Started a list but feel panic coming on. First stop is two new laptops unfortunately so off to PC World this morning. Looking forward to getting some tips

[Teaistheanswer]

DD is off to Anglia Ruskin and I have lists everywhere!! We didn't want to tempt fate either but am now feeling a bit panicky at how much is left to do! I should know what I'm doing as DS is already at uni but somehow girls seem to need more things (at least mine does 😊)

[angieloumc]

My DS is off to Lancaster, their Freshers isn't till the first week in October so 6 weeks yet; am starting to panic slightly now so will follow this thread with interest.

[hennipenni]

DD is going to Stafford, moving day is sept 10th- far too soon!

[justdontevenfuckingstart]

DD is off to Lincoln on the 10th, not panicking. What am I missing? she has clothes and stuff.
Don't talk to me about the crying tho cos that hasn't stopped. (she doesn't know that tho) Am serene like a swan on the surface.

[BensonBunny]

DD is going to Birmingham, she's away working this week and still waiting to hear which accommodation she will be in. I'm at home panicking quietly! We got a few bits at the weekend (do NOT go to IKEA in Reading on a weekend!) but there still feels like loads to sort out.

[justdontevenfuckingstart]

Bedding and towels, their usual stuff that they always have. Trip to poundland and the range when at the uni and they've met the roomies.
Calm down they will be fine there are shops where they are going.

[OhFuds]

My DD moves to Aberdeen uni 3rd September, we did shopping for what she will need last week. I'm a nervous wreck inside but I'm not telling her how many sleepless nights this move is causing.

Morrisons have a Student Event on just now.

[OutDamnedWind]

Nothing is insurmountable! Priority at the moment is making sure that accommodation, finance and registration are sorted.

Also think about Men ACWY vaccines if not already had them, and MMR.

[dementedma]

There are quite a few threads on MN for parents. Please stop panicking. The unis are used to this, they do it every year. There are shops in every town.

[dottygamekeeper]

I have a DS going to Falmouth - 7 hours away from home, he has just texted me to say he can move in from 8 Sept, and a DD going to York - 3.5 hours from home in the opposite direction, luckily she moves in on 25 Sept, so we are not torn between being in two places on the same day. I think we will take the minimum of stuff and if necessary, buy anything that seems essential when we get there.

I will be home alone during the week when they both go, as DH works away Mon-Fri, so a big change for me...

[sweetpeaandroses]

DS going to Cardiff, DD went to Exeter last year. We're much more laid back having done it before.
My best advice is to buy the bare minimum for Halls and let them shop for the gaps. DD's flat had 6 colanders and no chopping boards.

[BetweenTwoLungs]

My main advice for parents with DC going for the first time is that they don't get their student loan before Fresher's week, it's normally the week after but can sometimes be the week after that. So DC will need to have some money saved or you may need to help out those first couple of weeks as they are very expensive with freshers nights out, joining clubs and societies, buying books for their courses etc.

[Soozikinzi]

Is it only me who didn't realize how much the halls all cost ?was in a state of shock and didn't realize how much parents have to stump up who aren't on the greatest of incomes

[OhFuds]

I knew the halls cost but I got a shock when my DD got a letter saying she had to pay £100 just now then £1800 before she moves in. Luckily if she opts to pay by direct debit the accommodation costs can be paid monthly rather than lump sums.

[Decorhate]

Dd's halls cost around 50% more each mo th than I had expected. Partly because she got allocated catered accommodation but also because you had to pay over 8 months rather than 9

[dottygamekeeper]

We had to pay £300 deposit each, to firm the accommodation offer and then have to pay the first instalment presumably any time soon before they arrive. My DD got offered her 4th choice of accommodation, which is an extra £1500 pa that we hadn't bargained for - but then my DS has been allocated shared accommodation (which he didn't apply for but was all that was left) so we are saving money on that one, so things are evening out...

[Stopyourhavering]

dd1 is off to Edinburgh next weekend , although her postgrad course doesn't start till a fortnight later but she wants to acclimatise to the city and hopefully get a part time job before all the other students get there
Quite envious of her as she's moving into fab halls at the end of the Royal Mile
Most of the stuff we'd got for her undergraduate halls didn't last the 4 yrs so we've arranged for a welcome pack- bedding/ kitchen to be waiting when she arrives ( we've got a 6 hr drive so don't want to be loaded down with stuff)
Dd2 starts 2 nd year 2 weeks later.....also need to buy her new bedding as she's in a house with a double bed never had that luxury when I was a student so it's off to Dunelm again!!

[NapoleonsNose]

DD is off to Reading on 16th. I've been buying bits and pieces all year so luckily we don't have to spend a fortune before she goes. We are on a lowish income so she qualifies for the full loan which halls will take two thirds of. She's worked all summer so has several hundred saved up so she should be ok. She's paid her £250 room deposit and booked the arrival time. Just waiting for her room number now. Bank account opened, railcard ordered, she's just got to sort through the mountain of clothes adorning the bedroom floor and decide what to take. I'm amazed that she, and we, are as organised as this already! We're normally a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants tyoe of family!

[dementedma]

Halls are horrendously expensive. Get them moved out as soon as possible into a shared flat. However ,when they are in a flat remember it's usually a 12 month lease so you have to stump up for June July and August when there is no SAAS money

[EllenJanethickerknickers]

DS1 is going to Warwick, halls haven't been allocated yet but on the less expensive side. Do you know if they have to do anything re student loans? DS has applied and will get max maintenance loan but I don't know if he has to confirm anything with them, re University and term time address etc. He can't find the email or letter from them. Sigh...

[EllenJanethickerknickers]

Ok, found the email at last, SLC not student loan company! He just has to wait for a letter from them to take with him when he enrols at Warwick. Phew!

[Leeds2]

My DD is just coming to the end of her Freshers' Week (in the States). Everything seems to be going well, and we fly home on Sunday.

[hennipenni]

Just phoned GP surgery to book an appointment for DD to have her Men ACWY vaccine to be told she might not be able to have it! Nurse thinks she has to be 19 to have it! I think not!!

[Dunlurking]

hennipenni she is obviously out of date. Show her this www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pages/men-acwy-vaccine.aspx?tabname=NHS%20vaccination%20schedule

My ds actually had a letter inviting him to make an appointment, so credit to our surgery for running 2 clinics mid September for 18 year olds. Not ideal though - they need 6-8 weeks for the immunity to kick in.